Earthquake fears in Owerri over 30,000 water boreholes

By Dikachi Franklin, Owerri

Danger looms in Owerri, the Imo State capital, as over 30,000 private and commercial water boreholes in existence are capable of triggering earthquakes in the State.

Earthquakes are sudden earth movements or vibrations in the earth’s crust.

They are caused either by the development of faults (cracks) in the crust which result from collision between plates or the movements of molten rock below, or within the crust, or the sudden release of stress which has slowly built up along the fault plane.

Consequently, Celestine Ugoanyanwu, the managing director  and chief executive officer of the Imo State Water Board and Sewage Corporation  has ordered for the closure of all water bore holes that are in existence in Imo State immediately.

The order for the closure was given  at a Media Network Quarterly Meeting of Effective Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Services (E-WASH) held in Owerri, the Imo state on Thursday.

The number of  water boreholes sunk in Owerri urban area was more than 30,000 boreholes, Ugoanyanwu disclosed.

He has therefore called on the state government to ensure the speedy rehabilitation of public water supply to avoid the danger of earthquakes in the state, stressing that it would help members of the public in getting  steady water supply.

Ugoanyanwu said that the state government had  in November 2019,  declared a state of emergency on water supply as a result of impure water people drink in the state.

He also noted that for more than 10 years  there had been no public water supply in the state and that many of the equipment owned by Imo State Water Board have been carted away by the hoodlums.

According to him, public water supply has been restored in the Imo State Secretariat following the directive by the Imo state governor, Hope Uzodinma.